Modern biological techniques, including nucleic acid analysis, offer powerful tools for the analysis of samples. Samples from subjects and environmental sources can be analyzed for the presence of various compounds and organisms. Patients can be diagnosed for diseases, including infectious diseases and genetic diseases. Samples can be genotyped.
However, many analysis techniques require centralized laboratory facilities, trained technicians, sample preparation, refrigeration, and other resources. Such requirements can limit the utility of these techniques in point-of-care settings, limited resource settings, and other environments with difficult or no access to necessary resources.